Board game apparatus

ABSTRACT

An investment board game apparatus which comprises a set of chance cards, each card having indicia thereon representative of an investment advantage or hazard, along with a housing for receiving the chance cards. The chance cards of one category have signal actuating openings formed therein, and the housing has an electrical signal producing device associated therewith. The signal producing device emits a signal in response to a contact portion thereof moving into one of the openings on a chance card when the card is withdrawn from the housing. The apparatus also includes a chance device which generally includes a base having two upstanding flanges, a shaft secured between the flanges and two spinnable chance elements rotatably mounted on the shaft. Each chance element has an elongated body and two opposing indicia bearing faces. The indicia presented upwardly after spinning the elements dictates action to be taken according to the rules of the game.

United States Patent 1191' Breslow Feb. 11, 1975 BOARD GAME APPARATUS Primary Examiner--Delbert B. Lowe [75] Inventor: Jeffrey D. Breslow, Highland Park, Attorney Agent Flrmcoffee and Sweeney [73] Assignee: Marvin Glass & Associates, [57] ABSTRACT chlmg'a1 An investment board game apparatus which comprises [22] Filed; 1 1973 a set of chance cards, each card having indicia thereon representative of an investment advantage or [21] PP 333,210 hazard, along with a housing for receiving the chance cards. The chance cards of one category have signal 521 US. 01...... 273/134 A, 273/134 0, 273/134 D, actuating Openings formed therein, and the housing 273/134 E, 273/137 AC 273/138 A, has an electrical signal producing device associated 27 R, 273 143 R therewith. The signal producing device emitsa signal 51 Int. Cl. A63t 3/00 in response to a Contact Portion thereof moving into 581 Field of Search 273/134 one Of the openings on a chance card when the card is withdrawn from the housing. The apparatus also in- 5 References Cied cludes a chance device which generally includes a UNITED STATES-PATENTS base having two upstanding flanges, a shaft secured between the flanges and two spinnable chance eleg ments rotatably mounted on the shaft. Each chance 2794 642 6/1957 Oi leiii I 273/134 AF eiement h an elongated ii two Opposing indi' 2 976IO44 3/1961 Corpening... 273/134 AD beamg faces- The Presented upwardly 3:163423 12ll964 Jackson I h I I I I 273/134 AF after spinning the elements dictates action to be taken 3,473,809 l0/I969 Day 273/134 c according to the rules of the game- 3,729,l98 4/1973 1 Shaffer 273/134 AC 11 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures PATENTEU FEB! 1197s SHEET 2 BF 2 c nal/n m we wan annnaununnnnn a,

1 BOARD GAME APPARATUS I BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to a board type game and particularly to a board type game wherein the object is to acquire the greatest amount of simulated wealth.

2. Brief Description of the Prior Art Board games and particularly those of the general character described have become increasingly popular. In a typical type of acquisition game there is provided a plurality of playing pieces, one for each player, a game board, a chance device and simulated money. The game board has a playing surface on which the playing pieces are supported. A plurality of stations are printed on the playing surface and define a path of travel for the playing pieces. At least some of the stations are acquisition stations which have indicia representative of an acquisition, such as property. The chance device determines the number of stations a particular playing piece shall advance on the playing surface. The simulated money which is acquired during the play of the game provides a means of acquiring a particular representative acquisition whenever a players piece lands on anacquisition station.

Many of the types of games above described may also include a set of chance cards each having indicia thereon representative of an advantage one player may exercise over another player or a hazard that a player must suffer in relation to the other players.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is the principal object of the present invention to provide a new and improved, entertaining, investment type board game.

One feature of the present invention is to provide a new and improved means of dispensing chance cards which are to be used in connection with the type of investment board game contemplated.

In one embodiment currently contemplated, the improvement generally includes providing one category of the chance cards with signal actuating means formed thereon, and a housing for receiving the cards. The housing includes a slot formed therein for drawing a chance card from the interior. thereof and means for producing a signal in response to the signal actuating means whenever one of the signalling cards is drawn from the housing. Whether or not a signal is given off indicates whether the chance card confers an advantage or a hazard on the player drawing the card.

In the preferred embodiment, the signal actuating means includes an opening formed in some of the chance cards. The signal producing means includes electrical sound means having two normally spaced electrical contacts. The sound means gives a signal whenever the contacts meet by virtue of one of the contacts moving into the opening in a chance card which is being drawn out of the housing.

Another improvement in the game is a chance device which generally includes a base having two upstanding flanges, a shaft secured between the flanges and two spinnable chance elements rotatably mounted on the shaft. Each chance element has an elongated body and two opposing indicia bearing faces. The indicia presented upwardly after spinning the elements dictates action to be taken according to the rules of the game.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a plan view of certain elements of the game of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged plan view of three chance cards used in the game of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a perspective viewof a playing piece accessory used in association with the game of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a simulated check or book thereof usable in association with the game ofthe present invention;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged plan view of simulated money which is to be used in association with the game of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a chance device to be used in association with the game of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional view taken generally along the line 7-7 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken generally along the line 8--8 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken generally along the line 9-9 of FIG. 7; and

FIG. 10 is a somewhat schematic perspective view of the electrical wiring for the sound means to be used in association with the game in the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT FIG. 1 shows a game board, generally designated 10, which is to be used in the investment game of the present invention. Like most board games, the game board 10 has a playing surface 12 upon which playing pieces (not shown), one for each player, are supported. A plurality of investment stations 14 are indicated on the playing surface 12 and provide a path of travel for the playing pieces. The investment stations 14 have indicia printed thereon which represents at least one investment and its worth or cost in money. A chance device which can take the form of a die, or dice, (not shown) is used for determining the number of stations 14 that a particular playing piece shall advance on the playing surface 12. Also provided is simulated money 16 (see FIG. 5) which is acquired during the play of the game and provides a means of acquiring a particular investment.

When a playing piece lands on a particular station 14, that player has the option to buy the corresponding investment for the price indicated. The player who accumulates the greatest amount of wealth in the form of money or investments is declared the winner of the game.

Some acquisition type games, as in the present one, employ a set of chance cards 18. Each chance card 18 has indicia thereon which is representative of an advantage one player may exercise over other players or a hazard that a player must suffer in relation to the other players. For example, a chance card may direct that a player give up money or an investment, or gain money or an investment.

A plurality of owner designating means, generally designated 20 (FIG. 3) are provided to designate which player owns which investment. The owner designating means 20 generally includes a plurality of different color pedestals or holders 22 wherein each color is representative of a different player. A plurality of miniature card-like signs 24 are provided each having indicia thereon representative of one of the investment stations. The signs 24 are removable and interchangeably mountable on any of the holders 22. Accordingly, if a given player owns a particular investment, he will mount the sign 24 corresponding to that particular investment on a pedestal of his color and place it adjacent to the corresponding investment station as shown in FIG. 1.

The present invention employs a new and improved means of dispensing the chance cards 18. This improvement generally includes providing signal actuating means in the form of openings 26 (FIG. 2) in some of the chance cards 18. The chance cards are then stacked in a housing, generally designated 28 (FIGS. 7-9), for dispensation therefrom.

Turning to FIGS. 7-10 in greater detail, the housing 28, which is in the form of a simulated ticker tape machine, is seen to generally include a base 30 having a clear plastic dome type covering 32 mounted thereon. Also mounted on the base within the covering 32 is a central vertical card receiving chamber or stack, generally designated 34, which is preferably opaque and open at the top. Chance cards 18 are horizontally stacked within stack 34 on a card supporting wall 36 formed at the bottom of the stack 34.

The covering 32 has an opening 38 formed near the upper portion thereof through which the cards 18 can be deposited into stack 34 through the covering 32. A lower opening 40 also is formed in the covering 32 to permit the withdrawal of cards from the stack 34 through a slot 41 formed therein.

As can be seen, the cards 18 received in the stack 34 cannot be observed by any of the players nor can they be withdrawn from the stack without some means to push the lowermost card 18 outwardly through slot 41 so that the player will be able to normally grasp the card. To this end, there is provided a card dispenser, generally designated 42, which is actuable for presenting a chance card 18 to a player through slot 41. The card dispenser 42 generally includes a depressible plunger 44 vertically reciprocally mounted adjacent the stack 34 extending from inside the covering 32 outwardly through an opening 46 in the cover. The plunger 44 has a lower curved portion 48, an upper button portion 50 outside of the housing 28 and an intermediate portion 52. The intermediate portion 52 has a coil spring 54 about a portion thereof and which is captured within the housing 28 between two horizontal webs 56 and 58 protruding outwardly from the stack 34. Each web 56 and 58 has an opening 60 and.62 therein respectively for reciprocally receiving the plunger 44 therethrough. The plunger portion 52 has a washer 59 keyed thereto for bearing against the top of the coil spring 54.

The lower curved portion 48 of the plunger is in contact with a horizontal card pusher 64 mounted within the housing 28 for horizontal movement from a location outside of the stack 34 to a location inside the stack at the same height as the lowermost card 18, through another slot 66 formed in the stack 34. A spring 68 is secured between the covering 32 and the card pusher 64. The spring 68 acts as a return mechanism so that the pusher 64 will be returned to its original position after pushing a .card to the left as viewed in FIG. 7.

In view of the above description of the card dispenser 42, it can be seen that when the plunger 44 is depressed downwardly, the curved portion 48 bears against the card pusher 64 and moves the same horizontally through slot 66. The card pusher 64 then engages the lowermost card 18 and pushes the card out through slot 41 a sufficient distance so that a player may grasp the protruding end of the card 18 for manual withdrawal from the housing 28 as the remaining cards in the stack move down by gravity. After downward pressure is released from the plunger 44. the spring 54 causes the plunger to return to its original position and spring 68 returns pusher 64 back to its original position ready to dispense another card.

Also included within the housing 28 is a signal producing means, generally designated 70, as best shown in FIG. 10. The signal producing means 70 generally includes a motor 72 having a plurality of hammer striking spokes 74 (FIGS. 7-8) connected, a battery carriage 76, an upper contact 78 and a lower contact 80. The lower contact 80 has an upwardly protruding portion 82 and the upper contact 78 has a downwardly extending portion 84. The signal producing means is electrically connected by suitable wiring 86 (FIG. 10).

The battery carriage 76 is mounted on the underside of the base 30 (FIG. 8) for receiving a battery 88 therein. The striking mechanism is also mounted beneath the base 30 in a carriage 90 formed from the base and extending downwardly therefrom. When the motor 72 is actuated, the striking spokes 74 rotate within an opening 92 in the base to strike a bell 94 mounted on the side of the stack 34. The spokes 74 have washers 93 loosely mounted on the ends thereof for striking the bell. Thus, whenever contacts 78 and 80 meet to form an electrical circuit through the motor 72, a ringing sound is produced.

Contacts 78 and 80 are mounted opposite each other on either side of a spacer 96. Upper contact 78 is secured to the bottom of the card supporting wall 36. The upwardly protruding portion 82 of the lower contact 80 extends through an opening 98 in the card supporting wall 36. The contact 80 is biased toward the upper contact 78 so that the downwardly extending portion 84 of the upper contact will touch the lower contact. However, as can be seen in FIG. 7, when cards 18 are in the stack 34 the upwardly protruding portion 82 abuts the lowermost card whereby the weight of the cards prevents engagement of the contacts 78 and 80. If, upon drawing a card 18 from the housing 28, an opening 26 of a card 18 is in registry with the opening 98 in the support wall 36, the lower contact 80 will move upwardly through the aligned opening 98 to permit contact 80 to engage contact 78 and form an electrical circuit thereby causing a ringing sound.

In the present embodiment, those cards 18 having openings 26 formed therein are representative of hazards as opposed to advantages. Accordingly, if a card that is being drawn from the housing 28 is a chance card which is bad for the player drawing the card, a ringing sound will be emitted from the housing.

Another feature of the investment game of the present invention is the use of a second chance device generally designated 100. The second chance device 100 provides means for one player to acquire an investment owned by another player or to pay a penalty to another player. The second chance device 100 includes a base 102 having two upstanding ears or flanges 104 and 106.

a shaft 108 secured between the ears, and two chance elements, generally designated 110 and 112 respectively, which are rotatably mounted on the shaft 108. Each chance element 110 and 112 has an elongated body 114 and two opposing indicia bearing faces 116 and 118 (the other two faces are not shown).

In order to use the second chance device 100, the elements 110 and 112 are spun. The player then'takes certain actions according to the rules of the game according to which of the indicia bearing faces 116 and 118 faces upwardly on both elements. The indicia on faces 116 and 118 can either be in writing, in color, or any other suitable means in order to convey an instruction to the player using the chance device.

In use, the investment type game of this invention can be played by two or more players. Each player picks a playing piece usually of a different color and rolls the die or dice to determine who goes first. At the beginning of the game each player may be given a certain amount of simulated money 16.

According to the roll of the dice, each player moves from station to station. When a player lands on a station that is not owned by any player, he may buy it by paying the amount indicated thereon. If he doesnt have the money he cannot buy it and must therefore pass. However, if he does buy the investment represented by the station, he must pay the money to a bank whereupon he will place the sign 24 representative of the bought investment in his colored pedestal 22 and place the owner designating means adjacent the corresponding station.

If a players playing pieceshould land on a station whose investment is owned by another player, the player will then resort to the second chance device 100. Depending on the spin of the elements 110 and 112 the player landing on somebody elses investment may have the option of either buying the investment from the other player at a discount, buying the investment at the printed price, getting the investment free from the other player or perhaps paying a penalty for landing on somebody elses investment.

Meanwhile after each throw of the dice and before a decision is made to buy an investment or employ the second chance device 100, a chance card 18 is drawn from the ticker tape housing 28. According to the chance card 18 drawn, the player may receive more money or he may be able to buy a particular investment at a discount, obtain the investment free, or he may be given an insurance card to protect him against future hazards of the game. On the other hand, a player may pick a card which is representative of a hazard. If this occurs then the bell in the housing 28 will be rung in the manner set forth above.

During the course of the game the players accumulate money and investments. The player who accumulates the greatest amount of wealth in terms of money and investments will be declared winner of the game.

In another modification of the preferred embodiment, means for credit in the form of a simulated check 120 may be used (FIG. 4). In this modification, rather than paying for an investment in terms of cash as represented by simulated money 16, a player pays for his investment by check, writing out the amount of money he wishes to spend. In this case, money 16 is not initially passed out at the beginning of the game but is acquired only through the chance cards 18. At the end of the game each player must make good on his expenditures or else he will either be penalized or automatically lose the game.

The foregoing detailed description has been given for clearness of understanding only, and no unnecessary limitations should be understood therefrom, as some modifications may be obvious to those skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. In a board game, including a plurality of playing pieces at least one for each player of the game, a game board having a playing surface upon which said playing pieces are supportable, a plurality of stations defined on said playing surface providing a path of travel for said playing pieces at least some of said stations including investment" stations having indicia representative of at least one investment, a chance device for determining the number of stations a particular playing piece shall advance on the playing surface, and simulated money which may be acquired during the play of the game providing means to acquire a particular investment the object of the game being to acquire the greatest amount of wealth in the form of money or investments, the improvement comprising:

a set of chance cards, each chance card having indicia thereon representative of an advantage one player may exercise over another player or a hazard that a player must suffer, one category of said cards having signal actuating means formed thereon; and

a housing for receiving said chance cards, a slot formed in said housing through which a chance card can be drawn from the interior thereof and signal producing means for producing a signal in response to the signal actuating means whenever a card having the actuating means thereon is drawn from said housing.

2. The game of claim 1 including a plurality of ownership elements for use to designate the ownership of an investment.

3. The game of claim 2 wherein said ownership designating elements include a plurality of different colored pedestals each color representative of a player and a plurality of signs removably and interchangeably mountable on said pedastals, each sign bearing indicia thereon representative of one of the different investments indicated by the investment stations, one sign corresponding to each investment, whereby a player will mount a sign corresponding to an investment he has acquired on a pedestal of his color and place it on or adjacent to the corresponding investment station.

4. The game of claim 1 wherein said simulated money includes simulated checks.

5. The game of claim 1 wherein said signal actuating means includes an opening formed in the card, said signal producing means including electrical sound means and upper and lower electrical contacts which actuate said sound means when in touching relation, the upper contact being mounted under the lowermost cardfthe lower contact being mounted below the upper contact and being biased toward the upper contact, said lower contact including a portion which normally bears against the lowermost card, which prevents the lower contact from moving into contact with said upper contact, said lower contact portion being of a size so as to be receivable in a card opening whereby the lower contact moves upwardly to touch the upper contact whenever a card having an opening therein is drawn through the slot causing the sound means to emit sound.

6. The game of claim 1 wherein said housing includes an actuatable card dispenser for presenting a chance card to a player through said slot.

7. The game of claim 6 wherein said cards are horizontally stacked within the housing, the lowermost of said cards being at the same level with said slot, said card dispenser including a depressable plunger operably connected to a horizontally movable card pusher, said card pusher being in contact with said lowermost card whereby a card is pushed out through said slot by said card pusher in response to the depression of said plunger.

8. The game of claim 1 including a second chance device for use in determining when one player can acquire an investment owned by another player or must pay a penalty to another player.

9. The game of claim 8 wherein said second chance device includes a base having two upstanding flanges, a shaft secured between said flanges, and two chance elements rotatably mounted on said shaft, each element having an elongated body and two opposing indicia bearing faces at opposite ends of the body, whereby the indicia on the upwardly facing faces after selective rotation dictate action to be taken according to the rules of the game.

10. In a board game, including a plurality of playing pieces at least one for each player of the game, a game board having a playing surface upon which said playing pieces are supportable, a plurality of stations defined on said playing surface providing a path of travel for said playing pieces at least some of said stations including investment stations having indicia representative of at least one investment, a chance device for determining the number of stations a particular playing piece shall advance on the playing surface, and simulated money which may be acquired during the play of the game providing means to acquire a particular investment the object of the game being to acquire the greatest amount of wealth in the form of money or investments, ownership designating means comprising:

a plurality of different colored pedestals each color representative of a player; and

a plurality of signs removeably and interchangeably mountable on said pedestals, each sign bearing indicia thereon representative of one of the different investments indicated by the investment stations, one sign corresponding to each investment,

whereby a player will mount a sign corresponding to an investment he has acquired on a pedestal of his color and place it on or adjacent to the corresponding investment station.

11. ln a board game, including a plurality of playing pieces at least one for each player of the game, a game board having a playing surface upon which said playing pieces are supportable, a plurality of stations defined on said playing surface providing a path of travel for said playing pieces at least some of said stations including investment" stations having indicia representative of at least one investment, a chance device for determining the number of stations a particular playing piece shall advance on the playing surface, and simulated money which may be acquired during the play of the game providing means to acquire a particular investment the object of the game being to acquire the greatest amount of wealth in the form of money or investments, the improvement comprising:

a set of chance cards, each chance card having indicia thereon representative of an advantage one player may exercise over another player or a hazard that a player must suffer, said hazard indicia bearing cards having a signal actuating opening formed therein; and

a housing including a vertical chamber for receiving a plurality of horizontally stacked chance cards a slot in the chamber at the same height as the lowermost card through which a card may pass a card dispenser having a depressible plunger and a horizontally movable card pusher operably connected to the plunger and being in contact with the lowermost card opposite said slot, whereby the lowermost card is pushed out through the slot by the card pusher in response to the depression of said plunger, and

signal producing means including electrical sound means and upper and lower electrical contacts, the upper contact being mounted under the lowermost card, the lower contact being mounted below the upper contact and normally bearing against the lowermost card, said bearing causing said contacts to be normally spaced apart, whereby the contacts meet whenever a card having an opening therein is drawn through the slot causing the sound means to emit sound. 

1. In a board game, including a plurality of playing pieces at least one for each player of the game, a game board having a playing surface upon which said playing pieces are supportable, a plurality of stations defined on said playing surface providing a path of travel for said playing pieces at least some of said stations including ''''investment'''' stations having indicia representative of at least one investment, a chance device for determining the number of stations a particular playing piece shall advance on the playing surface, and simulated money which may be acquired during the play of the game providing means to acquire a particular investment the object of the game being to acquire the greatest amount of wealth in the form of money or investments, the improvement comprising: a set of chance cards, each chance card having indicia thereon representative of an advantage one player may exercise over another player or a hazard that a player must suffer, one category of said cards having signal actuating means formed thereon; and a housing for receiving said chance cards, a slot formed in said housing through which a chance card can be drawn from the interior thereof and signal producing means for producing a signal in response to the signal actuating means whenever a card having the actuating means thereon is drawn from said housing.
 2. The game of claim 1 including a plurality of ownership elements for use to desIgnate the ownership of an investment.
 3. The game of claim 2 wherein said ownership designating elements include a plurality of different colored pedestals each color representative of a player and a plurality of signs removably and interchangeably mountable on said pedastals, each sign bearing indicia thereon representative of one of the different investments indicated by the investment stations, one sign corresponding to each investment, whereby a player will mount a sign corresponding to an investment he has acquired on a pedestal of his color and place it on or adjacent to the corresponding investment station.
 4. The game of claim 1 wherein said simulated money includes simulated checks.
 5. The game of claim 1 wherein said signal actuating means includes an opening formed in the card, said signal producing means including electrical sound means and upper and lower electrical contacts which actuate said sound means when in touching relation, the upper contact being mounted under the lowermost card, the lower contact being mounted below the upper contact and being biased toward the upper contact, said lower contact including a portion which normally bears against the lowermost card, which prevents the lower contact from moving into contact with said upper contact, said lower contact portion being of a size so as to be receivable in a card opening whereby the lower contact moves upwardly to touch the upper contact whenever a card having an opening therein is drawn through the slot causing the sound means to emit sound.
 6. The game of claim 1 wherein said housing includes an actuatable card dispenser for presenting a chance card to a player through said slot.
 7. The game of claim 6 wherein said cards are horizontally stacked within the housing, the lowermost of said cards being at the same level with said slot, said card dispenser including a depressable plunger operably connected to a horizontally movable card pusher, said card pusher being in contact with said lowermost card whereby a card is pushed out through said slot by said card pusher in response to the depression of said plunger.
 8. The game of claim 1 including a second chance device for use in determining when one player can acquire an investment owned by another player or must pay a penalty to another player.
 9. The game of claim 8 wherein said second chance device includes a base having two upstanding flanges, a shaft secured between said flanges, and two chance elements rotatably mounted on said shaft, each element having an elongated body and two opposing indicia bearing faces at opposite ends of the body, whereby the indicia on the upwardly facing faces after selective rotation dictate action to be taken according to the rules of the game.
 10. In a board game, including a plurality of playing pieces at least one for each player of the game, a game board having a playing surface upon which said playing pieces are supportable, a plurality of stations defined on said playing surface providing a path of travel for said playing pieces at least some of said stations including ''''investment'''' stations having indicia representative of at least one investment, a chance device for determining the number of stations a particular playing piece shall advance on the playing surface, and simulated money which may be acquired during the play of the game providing means to acquire a particular investment the object of the game being to acquire the greatest amount of wealth in the form of money or investments, ownership designating means comprising: a plurality of different colored pedestals each color representative of a player; and a plurality of signs removeably and interchangeably mountable on said pedestals, each sign bearing indicia thereon representative of one of the different investments indicated by the investment stations, one sign corresponding to each investment, whereby a player will mount a sign corresponding to an investment he has acquired on a pedestal of his color and Place it on or adjacent to the corresponding investment station.
 11. In a board game, including a plurality of playing pieces at least one for each player of the game, a game board having a playing surface upon which said playing pieces are supportable, a plurality of stations defined on said playing surface providing a path of travel for said playing pieces at least some of said stations including ''''investment'''' stations having indicia representative of at least one investment, a chance device for determining the number of stations a particular playing piece shall advance on the playing surface, and simulated money which may be acquired during the play of the game providing means to acquire a particular investment the object of the game being to acquire the greatest amount of wealth in the form of money or investments, the improvement comprising: a set of chance cards, each chance card having indicia thereon representative of an advantage one player may exercise over another player or a hazard that a player must suffer, said hazard indicia bearing cards having a signal actuating opening formed therein; and a housing including a vertical chamber for receiving a plurality of horizontally stacked chance cards a slot in the chamber at the same height as the lowermost card through which a card may pass a card dispenser having a depressible plunger and a horizontally movable card pusher operably connected to the plunger and being in contact with the lowermost card opposite said slot, whereby the lowermost card is pushed out through the slot by the card pusher in response to the depression of said plunger, and signal producing means including electrical sound means and upper and lower electrical contacts, the upper contact being mounted under the lowermost card, the lower contact being mounted below the upper contact and normally bearing against the lowermost card, said bearing causing said contacts to be normally spaced apart, whereby the contacts meet whenever a card having an opening therein is drawn through the slot causing the sound means to emit sound. 